• Some experts believe eating the placenta, either in capsulated or cooked form, can balance out hormonal fluctuations that play a role in postpartum depression
• Many refer to the fact that most mammals consume their placentas after giving birth as proof that the practice is normal and natural. It has also been a part of Traditional Chinese medicine for centuries
• Jodi Selander - who offers a free encapsulation service, says, "We are the only mammal on Earth that went away from this practice."
• But the practice is met with great skepticism by more traditional medical experts, and it has been brought to the attention of the FDA, who is now looking into the claims made on Selander's website
• Mark Kristal, a professor at State University of New York at Buffalo, wrote a 1971 dissertation on why animals eat their own placenta. According to Kristal, there's "no research to substantiate claims of human benefit." He points out that the cooking process will destroy proteins and hormones, and that drying out, or freezing the placenta, will destroy other ingredients

• Digestion is a demanding task. As a Fever is usually short lived (1-3 days), not eating may be a better way of allowing your body to contribute the maximum amount of metabolic activity to recovery. If the fever lasts longer, then maintaining adequate available energy may becomes a problem. Natural doctors recommend diluted vegetable (preferred) or fruit juice (unsweetened) for energy during an illness
• A cold lasts 7-14 days. As the infection primarily involves the mucous membranes of the head and neck, systemic challenges aren't as pronounced. As the system isn't as stressed as with a Flu, there's less need to reduce demands on the digestive system. It stands to reason that, even if you're eating with a cold, less demanding foods (hard to digest foods, lots of food, complex foods) will be more supportive of the body as a whole
• If your body is a furnace, food is the fuel. Simple foods are more like gasoline, complex foods more like green wood. You don't want to dampen the fire, and you do have to feed it. Our bodies have sufficient reserves to manage 3 days of light activity without adverse effects (assuming that we're otherwise healthy)

Bottom Line

• Eat lightly when sick, regardless if it is a cold or flu

• When you are shopping for fish oil, look for the amounts of EPA and DHA on the label
• Although the packaging may say that each capsule contains 1000 mg of fish oil, it may only contain 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg of DHA. So you would actually only be getting 300 mg of the nutrients you want (and need) in each capsule. You would have to take seven capsules to get the recommended minimum daily intake
• The processing of the fish oil is also crucial. Low quality oils may be unstable and contain significant amounts of mercury, pesticides, and PCBs – so make sure that the oil you buy is purified to remove these toxins. High quality oils are also stabilized with adequate amounts of vitamin E
• Supplementing with fish oils is safe for just about everybody and no significant side effects have been reported in hundreds of clinical trials – even when using as much as 18 grams/day of fish oils
• (Caution: If you are on blood thinners, such as Coumadin, Warfarin, or antiplatelet drugs like aspirin, check with your doctor before taking fish oil)